


Rebirth

by LadySilv



Series: it was never meant to be [2]
Category: DreamSMP, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF, dreamteam - Fandom, mcyt
Genre: Adopted Toby Smith | Tubbo, Angst, Character Death, Dadza, Emotional Manipulation, Evil Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Long-Haired Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Not Beta Read, Phoenixes, Sad Ending, Sad Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Sleepy Bois Inc Angst, Sleepy Bois Inc as Family, The Author Regrets Nothing, Winged TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 05:46:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 18,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28826178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadySilv/pseuds/LadySilv
Summary: Part Two of the it was never meant to be series!Inspired by ValWasTaken's Feathered AU! Please check it out!Tommyinnit was killed by Technoblade using The Blade.That was the message that popped up on several devices across the server. King Phliza had sucked in a breath as he read the message several times, Jschlatt only ignored the message, and Technoblade just stared at his hands. The pink skin was red, the blood dripping down his hands. He had killed, not that he hadn’t done that before, but he had killed the Prince of the Dream Kingdom. He is worsening the war. But the voices in his mind cheered. Every voice screamed that he had done only what was necessary. Dream had taken his brother, so it was only natural for him to take Dream’s brother. But one lone voice was angry.
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Series: it was never meant to be [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2107323
Comments: 124
Kudos: 344





	1. Tommyinnit was killed by Technoblade using The Blade

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for all the support on the last book! I hope y'all enjoy this next book in the series!
> 
> If you get bored waiting for the next book, please read this one! A Coffee, Maybe? - [MCYT - Dreamnotfound / Sleepy Bois Inc.] by Nymphiou. 
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/28864098/chapters/70805403?view_adult=true

_ Tommyinnit was killed by Technoblade using The Blade. _

That was the message that popped up on several devices across the server. King Phliza had sucked in a breath as he read the message several times, Jschlatt only ignored the message, and Technoblade just stared at his hands. The pink skin was red, the blood dripping down his hands. He had killed, not that he hadn’t done that before, but he had killed the Prince of the Dream Kingdom. He is worsening the war. But the voices in his mind cheered. Every voice screamed that he had done only what was necessary. Dream had taken his brother, so it was only natural for him to take Dream’s brother. But one lone voice was angry. The voice’s rage overpowered the others' victory cries.

**_Theseus! Brother!_ **

The voice stunned him. He only had one brother, Wilbur. But, the voice told him differently, screaming in anguish. It was overbearing, causing Technoblade to kneel in the pool of blood, his hands covering his piglin ears. He let out a grunt, then a scream of his own. What had he done? He had killed the boy, the poor boy. Theseus...Ender, that name was so familiar. The memories opened in an instant. He saw the same boy he had killed, but much, much younger. Theseus was just a wee babe. The same blue eyes, the same blonde hair. Hell, even the golden feathers in the boy’s wings matched his memory. The boy he just killed was his brother…

Screaming again, he looked at the corpse in front of him. With careful hands he touched the boy, shaking him back and forth. Memories of the previous week flooded his head. The way the boy flew so gracefully, the pure look of happiness when he won the snowball fight, the way he trusted the ruthless piglin as he slept right next to him. All of it was over because of his actions. 

“Theseus..” the hybrid whispered, the feeling of a tear falling down his face. He never cried, and there he was, crying over a boy he barely knew. He continued to frantically shake him, looking at his face. “Theseus, no..Theseus…”

Tommy’s corpse only shook, never moving other than the frantic shoves of the piglin. His neck was sliced cleanly and deep. Blood still poured from the wound. There was no clotting, only thick dark red slowly pouring from the slice. It dripped down the side of his neck, into a pool. The blood stained the clothes that Tommy wore, coloring the grass that surrounded his body as well. There was no survival. No potions could help him. Under the red cape, his feathers started to disintegrate, only leaving the healthy golden feathers. The process was only sped up as Technoblade shook him. But nothing was going to stop the frantic shoves. 

Tubbo watched the scene in front of him. His false pride falling off his face in an instant. His task, he failed. He failed Dream. The scream of the piglin barely covered his thoughts as he fell to his knees. He just watched the murder of his best friend, the only one who cared about him. The ram’s ears dropped, tears falling down his face. Why was he crying? Moving a hand up, he wiped away the tears, only to look down and see blood covering his hands. He looked back up, seeing Tommy’s corpse in front of him. In his hand was the Blade, the dagger that had slit Tommy’s neck. No, no, he didn’t kill Tommy. Technoblade did!

Dream placed his hands on the preteen’s shoulders, leaning down and whispering in his ear. The older man’s breath tickled the ram’s ears, causing him to flinch. “Look at what you did. You caused this. I am very disappointed, Tubbo. So very disappointed..”

The laughter that ensued caused Tubbo to place his hands on his ears, whispering to himself. “No, no, no, no, no, I didn’t cause this… I didn’t do this. I didn’t kill Tommy, no!”

Both Piglin and Ram mourned for the lost boy. Neither knew what to believe, but decided to bring the body with Technoblade back to the capital of the Arctic Empire. Tubbo didn’t even think to open his communicator to tell Dream about the circumstances. He knew that Dream had seen it. There was no way he didn’t. Either way, Tubbo assumed that going back to that land would be suicide. The Arctic would hopefully let him stay for a few days.

Sure enough, Dream did see the message. The message displayed on Dream’s communicator did not have the effect everyone would have believed it would be. Instead the green clad man laughed. He sat atop his throne, a beautiful chair made of shinned blackstone. He sat with his leg draped over the right arm rest, his left arm holding up his face as he read the message. The bellows that came from his diaphragm scared the servants who had just delivered his meal. He began to type into the strange device. “My poor phoenix. Well, that plan is ruined.”

He kicked his legs back off of the rest, knocking the food tray away and he walked down the stairs that lead to his throne. Turning to a guard, he ordered, “Continue the onslaught of the Arctic Empire for killing our Prince. Make sure there is only progress, no matter the casualties. I will allot you more resources, including potions, to help the war cause. Anyone who finds Tubbo and brings him to me, dead or alive, will be rewarded a stack of diamond blocks.”

The green clad man turned, beginning to walk out of the throne room. The general only saluted, too afraid of the hunter to respond. Dream paused, turning around and looking at the people in the room. “Today sparks a new era. The Golden Era!”

The servants didn’t dare to move. The entire room was silent. No one dared to move or say anything. To them, this was the beginning of a dark age, not a golden era. Again, Dream started to walk away, boots clacking on the stone floor, still chuckling to himself. Now, all he needed was Tubbo to return to him. Of course, he was going to punish him. He did kill Tommy after all. No one knew his big secret, or the hoard of Totems of Undying in his collection.

The hunter gestured for a certain doctor to follow him. There was much to discuss about new potions to aid the war as well as the resurrection and rebirth of Tommyinnit. The hunter hummed the tune of chirp, walking down the halls of the large castle. Once the two reached the laboratory, Dream turned to the doctor. “Prepare the chamber for Tommy’s return. I will assume that he has new information about who he is and where he came from. I want you to wipe those memories to the best of your ability. There are plenty of Phoenix feathers and tears for you to use.”

The Hunter turned and walked out, closing the door with a soft click of iron. Now all they needed was Tommy’s ashes.

Or should Dream say, Theseus’s ashes... 


	2. Theseus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Technoblade and Tubbo bring Tommy back to the Arctic Empire. Technoblade breaks the news to Phil.
> 
> \------
> 
> Jschlatt receives the news of Wilbur's death and decides the attend the funeral of his old enemy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank y'all so much for the love and support! Already so many hits? OMG!

It was a dreary day. The snow was melting as winter came to an end. As the snow melted, slush and mud was left behind. The slush was freezing, but the air was warm. The odd mix of temperatures were confusing, but to most animals, this was the best time of the year. For Technoblade, this was his least favorite season. He hated the way people always saw this as rebirth. It was being born into a shitty season. Sure, flowers were planted, babies were born, and the ecosystem thrived, but it did not help his disdain for the season. Allergies were the worst, it was a mix between brisk cold and a sweltering heat. The added pollen from the plants made it worse. Nothing about this time of year made him happy. 

However, nothing stopped him from trekking through the mud and snow. Returning to the capital was his priority. In his hands, he held the body of his brother, his Theseus. The brother he killed. The ram who came to take Theseus back to their kingdom also walked alongside him. Neither spoke a word to each other. Both were still in shock. In Technoblade’s arms, Tommy’s body is wrapped in both Technoblade’s cloak and Tommy’s own cloak. The cloaks were stained with the preteen’s blood, but neither hybrid took notice. They couldn’t look at the avian. 

Neither noticed the significant loss of feathers in the piglin’s arms till they arrived at the castle. Philza had ushered Technoblade in, leaving Tubbo to be alone in the large hall. Guards stood nearby, waiting and anticipating an attack from the child in front of them. However, none came. Tubbo was just as mortified and upset as Technoblade was. Though, the ram did not understand why the piglin had cried as he did. Did Tommy melt the cold heart of Technoblade? He would not find out the true reason until much later.

Philza looked at his son. Technoblade had refused to leave the room where Tommy’s body laid. He was still wrapped in the cloaks. Neither the king or prince decided to open the wrap. But Philza was worried. He had never seen his son react the way he did. He didn’t even see the way he reacted to Wilbur’s death. So the sight was shocking. Why had his son gotten so worked up over the boy?

Technoblade refused to raise his head, still looking at the ground. “Who is Theseus…?” Philza sucked in a breath, clamping his jaw shut as he stiffened. The piglin continued, “The voices say he is my brother...they say Tommy was my brother...who is Theseus, Phil..”

The king sat in the chair beside his son, placing his elbows on his knees as he looked at the floor. The father sighed, swallowing before beginning. “You were young, Techno...I don’t even think you were 5 yet. I never even told Wilbur about him, Techno. Theseus was, is, my youngest son and your younger brother. One evening, I had put Theseus to bed first before putting Wilbur to bed. I was on my way to put you to bed and tuck you in when it happened. I hadn’t even closed Wilbur’s door before the guard came running.”

Someone, we are still unsure, stole my baby boy. It happened so quickly. I didn’t even notice the person in the room. I am positive they had some type of invisibility potion on, but I am still unsure. It still remains a fact that my baby boy was gone. There was no trace of him, nothing. We searched everyone’s lands. But what was odd was that it wasn’t just us who had a kidnapping. Jschlatt, president of Manburg, also had a child. However, this was only a few years after our loss. His child, Tubbo, was kidnapped as well. He was only two…”

“Tubbo?” asked the piglin. “The boy that came to get Tommy was named Tubbo…”

The king looked up at him. “It could be that Dream took both of our children.” Sitting back up, he looked over at Technoblade. “We need to converse with Tubbo about their lives in Dream’s Kingdom. Then we can begin a burial service for Tommy.” The avian king lowered his head further. Another kid to bury.

“Wait, Phil…” the piglin grabbed his father’s sleeve. “There is something else you need to know. I don’t even think Tommy knew it himself.”

“And what is that?” Again, the king looked up at his last remaining son.

“Phil, Tommy is a phoenix…”

\------

Away, in a distant land, a ram slammed a bottle of Corona onto the table. Ender, he hated the spring. But the taxes were always a good thing. He could tax all the festivals, all the merchandise, everything he could possibly dream of. Ha. He sat in his chair, kicking his feet up, and cracking open another bottle of Corona. The name of the stupid beer was, well, stupid. It tasted like piss, even with a lime wedge. But it was cheap and did the job he wanted. Taking well over three sips, the ram downed the bottle of beer before hiccing. This time of year sucked.

It wasn’t because he disliked the season itself, but rather the anniversary that fell in the season. The anniversary of his son’s kidnapping. This year would be the tenth year. Ender, his boy would have turned twelve. What was he doing? With a huff, he moved his feet, grabbing an empty glass and the bottle of Jack Daniels from his drawer. He looked at the glass before placing it back into the drawer and deciding to drink straight from the bottle. Nothing like Jack to get rid of the memories. 

He heard a knock on his door. Chugging the last bit of Jack, he wiped his mouth and placed the empty bottle on the table. “What…?” he slurred.

Quackity opened the door, reeling back from the stench of alcohol. He quickly dropped the face as he looked at the President of Manburg. “We have received news that Wilbur Soot, prince of the Arctic Empire, has been killed in battle by Dream.”

The ram leaned back with an aggravated sigh. “Damn, we couldn’t take out the traitor but that green hunter could. Fuck…”

Quackity hid his disdain as he continued on. “You are required to show some remorse for the family of Wilbur. In fact, we have been invited to the Arctic Empire for the funeral. King Philza wrote us personally inviting us to come.”

“When is the damned funeral?” 

“In 5 days time. We should leave immediately if we wish to get there on time.”

“Can’t I just send you instead?”

“Philza wishes to have both of us come to hopefully put the past behind us.”

The ram stood and leaned on the desk for support. It was supposed to look threatening, but the ram’s appearance only made him look like a fool. “I need to be back immediately after this shit is over. You know that time of year this is Quackity.”

The hispanic man looked at him sadly. “I know. But, it may be for the better that you go somewhere instead of wallowing in your tears here.”

“Wallowing?” The ram snorted. “I’m not wallowing. I am a man. I drink, goddamnit!”

Quackity winced at the loud, slurred voice before continuing. “Still, I suggest you go.”

The president sat down with a huff, leaning over to grab another Corona. “Fine..but as long as we’re back quickly.”

“Of course. I will have someone pack your bags. We leave tomorrow morning,” the hispanic said before closing the door and sighing. His job was tiresome. Not only as the second in command, but also as Schlatt’s fiance. This time of year was especially hard. No one, not even himself, could ever cheer up the president. It was the tenth year, and Quackity only hoped that the boy would show up somehow.


	3. Schlatt's Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jschlatt and Quackity travel to the Arctic Empire to pay visits to the late founder of L'manburg. While visiting, they are greeted with a surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit! Y'all have blow this out of the part! Almost 100 kudos? POG!

The trek had been long for both president and fiance. Not only did it get cold quickly, they had to sleep outside most nights due to the onslaught of Dream. Many towns were abandoned, but nothing stood after the destruction Dream left in his wake. So as the two approached the walls of the capital, Quackity could see the relief in Schlatt’s eyes. Quackity and Schlatt came up to the guards outside the castle. The guards looked over them both, thoroughly searching their bags for any hidden weapons. Why was security so tight? From what they had heard, Dream had retreated for the time being. Of course, the news had not reached Manburg yet, so neither knew of the newly found missing children. The guards looked over Quackity, gesturing to the netherite sword strapped to his side. Quackity never left without his beloved sword. In a seemingly gesture of friendship, the guards let him keep it, but required both to remove their armor and keep their weapons in their inventory. The laws were similar to Manburg’s. However, that was the least of Schlatt’s worries. 

The President was greeted by a guide who tried to give him a tour. However, Schlatt was demanding to meet the King to finish up his deal so he could quickly get back home. The ram stamped his hoof on the ground, something he did when he was impatient. “Where is Philza? That damned avian can’t even greet his own guests properly. Can he at least serve some drinks while we’re forced to wait?” The ram stomped his hoof again with a huff, crossing his arms and looking at the guide. “When can we see the King?”

The guide looked worried, her eyes diverting from theirs. “Ah, well...The King will be with you momentarily. He’s lost both of his sons, you know.” The guide slapped a hand over her mouth as the angry ram leaned down towards her. She hadn’t meant to let out the words that came from her mouth. That was Technoblade’s story to tell.

“I don’t give a damn about Wilbur or Theseus or Technoblade for that matter. He wasn’t the only one who lost a kid. He just happened to be killed right before the anniversary of my son’s kidnapping.” The ram had leaned down in her face, the horns blocking the sun and creating a shadow over her eyes. The gesture was a threat, which the guide knew would come from the ram.

The guide leaned back, fear on her face. “Ah, well, Technoblade will be with you shortly..He will do the explaining…” The guide quickly stepped away as she whipped out her communicator to beg for the Prince to come.

Quackity placed a hand on the President’s shoulder, sighing. “Things are gonna be tense, but I rather you yell at me than the other powerful leaders, Schlatt…”

The ram looked down at him, looking him up and down before grunting and turning. Coming down the palace stairs was Technoblade, and the expression that was on his face was not one that Quackity wanted to see. A noticeable difference about Technoblade was the lack of his cloak. The usual red cloak was one of his signature accessories for his style. Both the ram and the hispanic were shocked by the lack of one.

So as Schlatt does, he asked about it. “Where’s your glorious cape, Blade?”

The piglin’s eyes narrowed. “I am burying two brothers in a few days, Schlatt. I do not want to hear of your nonsense.”

“Two? Did little Theseus come running home, Technoblade?” The statement came out as a mockery. “Because I am still missing my son!”

The piglin stepped closer to the horned President. The ram did the same, stepping closer so that the two hybrids were practically nose to nose. Schlatt reeked of alcohol, making the piglin’s nose rise in disgust. The President only smelled the blood that seemed to always stick to Technoblade’s clothes. Both were about to spit insult at each other before a meek voice came from the steps of the palace.

“Technoblade?” came the small call from a blonde ram. “It’s Tommy...you need to see this…”

Technoblade swiveled around. He knew what was happening to Tommy’s body. Once a phoenix dies, their bodies will crumble to ash. While they can always be brought back, they must be brought back with a totem, blaze powder, and a vial of Dragon’s Breath. No object was easy to obtain. The piglin sighed, “Tubbo, I know your concerns. I will explain what is happening later. Please step back inside. We do not know how many of Dream’s spies have infiltrated our capital.”

Schlatt took a step back as he heard his dead son’s name. “Who fuckin dares to name their child after my son?!”

The ram marched over to the other boy, towering over him as he inspected him. Fuck...he was so familiar. The horns, the blonde hair… “Who the fuck are you?”

Tubbo backed away, looking at the other ram. Oddly, the drunkard reminded him of another tyrant. The explosive mannerisms, the personality, the way he talked to Technoblade. From what he had seen, this “President” was rather more of an arse than he was a diplomat. Technoblade separated the two, looking at the both of them. “We will talk inside. There is much to discuss about Tubbo’s time with Dream.”

The ram sneered, but stood up, placing his hands in his pockets before walking up the stairs of the castle. “I want complete answers. Details, not just a summary. And I want this ram’s name changed. No one should be named after my son, missing or not.”

Tubbo looked away as Technoblade shot a look at the President. The teen had been informed of his lineage that morning. However, he did not know who the president was. All the poor ram knew was Dream’s awful treatment from the last ten years. As they entered the palace, Technoblade led them down several corridors before bringing them to a large room. In the middle of the room was a round dark oak table with several chairs sitting around it. Once they had been seated around the table, except for the pacing piglin, Technoblade began a synopsis of the past few days.

“As you might have been aware, the Arctic Empire is allied with Manburg in the fight against Dream and his Kingdom. Wilbur died in honor as he fought Dream one on one as I reached the heart of the Dream Kingdom. I had been informed upon my arrival that Tommyinnit, brother of Dream, was residing in the castle. As one does, I kidnapped him to use him as ransom.” The piglin turned to Schlatt. “Dream convinced Tommy that he was Tommy’s brother, manipulating him and using him as a secret weapon. Tommy is an avian. At the time, I did not recognize the obvious resemblances in front of me.”

I did not realize that Tommyinnit was my brother Theseus until I slayed him.” The piglin let that sink in. “Tubbo was tasked by Dream to take Tommy back to the Dream Kingdom in order to gain the favor of the tyrant. I am sure you have made the same mistake as I and looked over the obvious resemblances between Tubbo and you.” 

With that being said,” he turned to face Schlatt, “Schlatt, meet Tubbo, your son.”


	4. Tubbo's Purpose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jschlatt and Quackity are brought from the castle courtyard to the conference room to discuss Tommy's revival and Tubbo's original purpose.

Schlatt laughed at the cruel joke laid in front of him. “You really think I would believe this is my son?” The dictator laughed again, clutching his stomach and wiping a tear that began to sprout from his eye. “Oh that’s a good one. Phil, I know you found your son, but leading me to believe my son is found is not only rude, but very dangerous.”

The winged king bristled, looking at Tubbo for a moment before nodding. The previous night, when they had told Tubbo that he would be able to meet his father, the ram had been so excited. His eyes lit up, a grin on his face, and his hands clutched his shirt. Even his hooved foot tapped the ground. It was the happiest Phil had ever seen the poor boy. But now, the ram’s eyes were cast down, hands drooping and his grin gone. The child was crestfallen. The ram kept his head down, seemingly reverting to a nature he would have been if he was around Dream. 

“I apologize for impersonating your son…” the ram started to mumble out, tears leaking out of his eyes. “I-I didn’t realize that I was wrong….”

Schlatt started to say something, “Yea-”

Phil stepped in between the two, turning and squatting down in front of the child. “Dream isn’t here Tubbo. He won’t hurt you any longer. Go inside and be by Tommy okay? We will host the funeral tomorrow..”

The boy nodded, his one ram horn glistening in the light. When he turned, the two behind Phil noticed the lack of a second horn. As the boy ran up the stairs, the bandages were pristine in the light of the snow. Phil stood, turning around. His eyes were narrowed and his lips thinned into a straight line. The winged leader looked at the dictator then at his vice president. 

Quackity put a hand on Schlatt’s shoulder, making the larger ram close his mouth. Quackity spoke instead. “I don’t know who that ram boy is, but tell us what happened to make him that way?”

Phil did not look pleased. Instead, he stepped out of the way, turning back to the castle, and walking up the stairs. “Inside. It’s warmer and I am sure you are tired from your journey. Tomorrow, we will be hosting the funeral of my two sons, Theseus and Wilbur. However, I wish to discuss something of importance about Theseus and Tubbo, and why I found them.”

Schlatt put his hands in his pocket, huffing and following the winged leader. Quackity removed his hand from the older’s shoulder as they walked along the stairs and into the large castle. He watched as the ram peeked around a corner before scurrying off as Technoblade rounded the corner. There was a brief conversation before the ram ran in the direction that the Prince came from. Technoblade then turned and looked at the new arrivals with a neutral face. He wore his mask once more, the only thing being revealed was his downturned lips. It seemed that neither the king or the prince wanted the two Manburg leaders there.

Phil continued to walk down the halls, Technoblade coming to flank his left side. As they walked, they saw several banners and tapestries. Many of these tapestries conveyed battles, but one in particular conveyed the disappearance of their youngest prince. Neither the king or the prince gave it a look, but Quackity paused to take in the colors. The tapestry was woven with intricate purples and blues, giving the background an eerie feel. This was much different than many of the other tapestries which conveyed reds and golds. Woven into the design was a winged baby, one with blonde hair and beautiful golden wings. The baby rested in a black figure’s arms as the figure slipped out a window. Nothing was specific about the figure, nothing that could clue them into Dream being the kidnapper. It was the perfect crime, as the tapestry was oddly named. 

Quackity looked up, seeing the group had continued far up ahead. He turned, quickly walking back to the group and falling in line behind his fiance. The four of them entered a conference room of sorts. The room had a warm fireplace with several chairs sitting around it. In the center of the room was a large round table with two chairs for the princes and the large chair for the king. There were also several other chairs for other members of the meeting. Quackity promptly sat down in a chair after Phil sat, ushering Schlatt to as well.

But Schlatt was done holding his tongue. “Why have you led us to another damned room?” The ram slammed his hands on the table but he did not receive the reaction he wanted. Both prince and king did not flinch nor react to the large slam.

Instead, Phil responded calmly. “Theseus is not truly dead.”

“We all saw the tag. We know that he is dead. Don’t play stupid with me!” the ram sneered and leaned on the table.

Phil placed a hand on Technoblade’s, keeping his rather trigger happy child in check. “The reason I have you in a separate room is because of this information. It is sensitive. It is also imperative that Dream does not know that we know. As a child, Theseus, well Tommy, did not show the signs of being a phoenix. Instead, he only sprouted wings like me. However, I can assure you that my Theseus is a phoenix and that is why Dream took him.”

“And you’re saying that Dream wanted Theseus for his abilities?” Quackity spoke before Schlatt could go off again. “That means that Theseus must have powerful abilities. Can you confirm that he is a full phoenix?”

“I cannot. However, I can assure you that he has not been revived.”

“I thought phoenixes burned to ash and then were reborn as children once more? At least that is the legends.” Quackity responded a bit perplexed.

“Yes, which is how we know Theseus is not a full blood phoenix. Still, he possesses all other traits, the tears, the impeccable healing, the feathers, all of it. The revival must be a ritual of sorts. I assume that someone must give a sacrifice in order to revive him. That or totems.”

“Totems have been taken by Dream for ages!”

“Exactly my point, but I-” Phil was interrupted as Schlatt entered the conversation again.

“It does not explain the reasoning for having my son, even if that ram is my son!” The president pushed off of the table, starting to pace the floor. Quackity stood, attempting to console his fiance, but was shoved off by the ram. “I can only think of one true possibility. I do light reading when I cannot get my stash. I read once in an ancient necromancy book that half-blood phoenixes need a sacrifice of similar blood type and age to work. That is why older half-bloods are rare since no sacrifices are as old as they are.”

“Are you implying that Dream was willing to use Tubbo as the sacrifice in case something were to happen to Theseus.”

“And I hope that I am wrong.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the long delay! However, here is a super cool chapter. I think next week I will be going back over book one and editing the chapters to make them more lengthy as well as add some scenes into them. I recommend checking it out after next week! I am currently not happy with the way my writing has kinda deteriorated with the continuation of this story, so as I update, I will review chapters from previous books!
> 
> Also, I stream from occasion! Check me out on Twitch: Silv0ffire !


	5. Confliction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo is conflicted with certain decisions no twelve year old should face.

Tubbo sat in the rather desolate room. The room was very large. A baby carriage sat in a corner with tubs of clothes and toys seemingly half packed up. The walls were painted a light baby blue, but in the darkness of the night, the walls looked like a deep purple. The moon lit up the small mural that was painted on the wall. It was faded, though it looked like it had been painted by a child. However, that was the least of what was on Tubbo’s mind. His best friend laid on the bed, covered in a green quilt. His chest did not move, no sign of breathing. No matter what Tubbo did, he could not make Tommy breathe again.

Dream’s words still rang in his ears. He still had to complete his mission. Contemplating, the twelve year old held his head in his hands. It had taken him a while to get used to the lopsided feeling of only having one horn. Even as he held his head, one side felt much heavier than the other. A sigh came from the ram before he butted his head into his friend’s side. He had overheard some of the conversation from the two rulers. After hearing that Dream could revive him only made him contemplate his decision. 

Everyone had three lives. Giving up one of his was worth it right? 

Sniffling, the ram held his friend’s arm and he tried to control his emotions. The sheets became slightly damp as Tubbo brushed his tears and snot onto them. He rather soil the sheets than his friend’s clothes. What was he going to do? Dream said to return Tommy in whatever state or whatever condition. Still, he would be punished for returning him like he is. Tubbo could only assume that whatever he did would only benefit Tommy in the long run. Ender, why was this such a hard decision? When did he begin to make the decisions?

Keeping his thoughts to himself, he wished his friend goodnight before standing and walking out of the room. The guards barely noticed him, which he gave no thought too. One would be concerned considering he had been the one to try and bring Tommy back home. However, Philza had apparently trusted him enough to stay. Trust. Such a fickle thing. He found his room, opening the large door and quickly walking in. He shut the door lightly. Turning around, his back hit the door softly as he looked up into the ceiling. Knees no longer able to support the pressure of his decision, he crumbled. Soft sobs came from the ram. 

His life for Tommy’s. He only had three, but what of Tommy? Tommy deserved all the lives Tubbo had. Ender, Tubbo was so obsessed with becoming Dream’s brother that he was willing to kill Tommy. He was a blaze, a deadly spiral of fire who burned anyone who came too close. No one would want to be friends with him, nor would they want to be brothers. Dream was right. He was a useless ram with no purpose. The ram lowered his gaze, looking at the communicator sitting on the table. It was useless to him. He could barely communicate with it.

But he had to try. Standing, the ram held onto the wall to walk closer to the nightstand. Each step seemed to weigh him down more. Supporting him, the wall became more of a crutch than a help. Pushing from the wall, his hooves slipped. Flailing out, he gripped the table. His knees hit the ground, causing him to grit his teeth and choke down a cry. If anyone found him trying to communicate with the evil king, he would be executed. With unsteady hands, he pushed himself onto his wobby hooves and gripped the tablet. He slid back down to the ground, back facing the table. His fingers were odd and large. It made clicking buttons very hard on the smaller tablet.

He saw the contact, clicking it before clicking the speech to text option. His illiterate self could barely understand what he was clicking, but he was able to find the correct buttons to click. With a shaky voice, he spoke into the communicator. 

“Where do you want me to meet you with Tommy?”

\-------

Dream’s communicator beeped as he sprinkled the melon into the beaker. He rolled his eyes behind his mask. Who would dare to contact him personally especially when they knew he was busy? With a lit match, he sparked a fire using the blaze powder under the beakers. Healing potions were going to be needed when he got Tommy back. His phoenix powers would be exhausted from retaining his body from dusting. 

He kept a watchful eye on the healing potion as he pulled the communicator out of his pocket. Ponk looked over, seeing the tablet and the King starring down at it. He averted his eyes, continuing to construct the revival spell. The sacrifice had to have similarities of the phoenix. One of the most important qualities was the sacrifice had to be of the same age. It seemed almost impossible for that to be of logical sense. However, in his mind, he assumed it was so that phoenixes could not live forever. 

Finding a sacrifice of Tommy’s age would not be hard. However, the sacrifice must be willing to give up one of their three lives to revive another. Finding a willing 12 year old would be next to impossible. That’s why Tubbo was so important. Dream had let them get close so that if the inevitable did happen, he could twist Tubbo to his will in order to coax a life out of him. He looked over at Dream once more. He couldn’t tell his emotions from behind the mask. It was strange working with the emotionless man. Even stranger as he heard the hunter chuckle.

A shiver went down his spine as the man lifted his fist to where his lips would be. A small chuckle came from under the mask. If one did not know his murderous tendencies, one would think he was a kind man laughing at a dog or cat meme. Ponk quickly went back to work researching. His thoughts would only distract him. Distractions left you in the dungeon. 

Pulling his mask back on his nose, he picked up his quill, observing the changes in the potion in front of him. He consulted the old journals beside him. The potion turned a golden color before turning a deep black. A sigh emitted from his lips as he wrote the newest trial to be a failure. Dumping the contents into a waste bin, he cleaned the glass and refilled it. He must have this complete by the time Dream returns with Tommy. Tommy’s corpse can only remain untouched for a few weeks before decomposing into ash. From what he knew, Dream was the only one with the books for phoenix revival after he had stolen them from L’Manburg’s library. Either Philza would have to return Tommy to Dream, or Dream will have to steal him back.

But Dream was ecstatic by the newest development with Tubbo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, ngl, I was listening to Dream's new song on repeat. Idk about y'all, but I feel a legit hand gripping my heart because I resonate so much with this song. I also showed to song to my family, they all want to hear it more often. I am considering emailing some radio station to start playing it. This needs to be on the top 100. Hell, top 10.
> 
> I also apologize for disappearing for a week. School has gotten me bogged down, but I will be editing the older chapters and also editing What Never Was, Never Will Be as well. Expect to see new chapters and more fluff.


	6. Choices

Philza first noticed something was wrong when Tubbo sat down at the table for breakfast that morning. Usually he would greet them with a meek “hello” or “good morning” but today there was nothing. The boy only sat in the seat, picking at the eggs that sat on his plate. Technoblade sat down the toast he had, watching as the boy played with his food. There was no bacon on the table because of obvious reasons, so their typical meal was toast with eggs and pancakes. Phil looked at the boy as he played with the eggs, not daring to eat. He wondered what was going through his mind.

“Tubbo...Are you alright?” the older king asked as he lowered his fork and set it on the table.

The younger didn’t respond, eyes on the creamy eggs in front of him. The scent didn’t faze him. He looked deep in thought, though neither Technoblade or Phil understood what the 12 year old was thinking. Instead, Phil stood, walking over to where the boy was. He placed a hand on his back, kneeling down to look at him. As the hand touched the young boy, Tubbo flinched. It did not go unnoticed. Both frowned. Phil looked at Technoblade, nodding slightly, before looking back at Tubbo.

Technoblade stood, grabbing the plates and taking them away. He did not re-enter the room. Instead, Phil stood, sliding the chair that was beside Tubbo out to sit in. The winged man looked at the ram with worry. “Tubbo, you’re safe here. Dream cannot hurt you while you are here.”

The boy looked over at the king before looking back at his food. His decision had been made the previous night. As he sat with the tablet in his hands, he had the device read the responses back to him. The simple sentence the abusive king had sent was enough to terrify the ram into submission. He had placed the tablet back where it was before, placing his head in between his knees. 

Dream was the only one who could revive Tommy. Phil just didn’t know the time crunch he was in. Tubbo did, and he was quite positive Dream would not lie about that. So, in a frenzy to protect his friend, he accepted the deal that Dream offered him. One of his lives for Tommy’s revival. 

Tubbo placed his fork down, staring at his hands in his lap. With a small voice, he spoke to Phil, “Do you know how to revive Tommy?”

The king was taken back. He was not expecting that question from the twelve year old. With a thought, he decided to keep his response as far from the truth as possible. “We have several reincarnation books, Tubbo. Schlatt even has several books on reviving Phoenixes. We will bring him back.” 

But Tubbo was not convinced. Instead, he only nodded. He would have to keep his plans a secret or else he would be held captive. Standing, the boy grabbed his full plate and started to walk to the kitchen. The sounds of cleaning could be heard. Phil sighed, watching the kitchen door from the dining room. The large room felt so empty even with the intense pressure that weighed over Phil. In reality, they had no idea how to revive the hybrid phoenix. With a push of confidence, Phil started to walk back to his study. He had much to think about. 

Once Tubbo was sure that Phil was gone, he started walking back to Tommy’s room. His steps echoed on the dorite floors. Again, no guards gave him any mind as he walked the halls. He thought again on how odd it was, but with his recent plans, he realized how lucky he truly was. It was like the universe was agreeing with his plans. He passed the several bedrooms that were in the royal wing. Approaching Tommy’s room, the room opened. The war pig stepped out of the room, looking over at the small ram. The ram noticed the way the pig hybrid’s eyes had bags as well as flushed red. The ram averted his eyes, stepping out of the way as the prince walked away with his cape flowing behind him. 

Tubbo looked at the retreating form of the pig before approaching the door once more. He opened the door, entering and closing it softly behind him. His eyes landed on the bed once more. Tommy laid there, no change in his features or his face. Tubbo approached the bed, noticing the wet splotches of tears. Paying it no mind, he sat in the chair by the bed. He reached over, grabbing his best friend’s cold hand. Choking down a few tears, he took a shaky breath. 

“Tommy, I have to do something to bring you back...I am hoping that once we get you back, you can escape again. I’m not taking any chances….” the boy looked at his best friend. “Please forgive me…”

Tubbo held his friend’s hand, head down as he looked to the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please check out this fic By Nymphious! They are such a great author and this book is written SO WELL. I can't express how much I love it, and I know you will to! Please go give it some love!
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/28864098/chapters/70805403?view_adult=true
> 
> I also apologize about the small chapter. I aim for at least 1100 words, but I am lacking today... :(


	7. Losing Tommy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo escapes the Antarctic Empire with the help of a mysterious Enderman...

It took a few days of planning and one night of good sleep. It was now the middle of the week; the funeral was tomorrow. Tubbo’s typically calm self was riddled with anxiety. His mind was filled with how this was impossible. Of course it was, but Tubbo had to complete this. He had a stack of chorus fruit. It was dried and luckily not molding. So he deemed it as good. Apparently, it was the last stack from the End from when Philza had stolen it. Keeping his mind clear, he hoisted his back up on his shoulder. 

Inside the bag was food, supplies for a campsite, his cloak, a bow and some arrows, and a sword. Of course it was all stolen. He just hoped it would not be noticed until he was gone. Inside one of the pockets of the satchel was his, well Tommy’s, communicator. He was supposed to notify Dream of when he was outside the castle grounds. One of his spies was going to transport them back to the Castle.

That did not ease Tubbo’s worries though. He kept his head down on the floor as he passed the guards that always stood by the archways. From what he knew, the chorus fruit only took you eight blocks. This meant that Tubbo would essentially be caught. But, it was the only plan he had. In a hope to get out of there faster, he grabbed a strength potion and was planning to pour that on to the chorus fruit. He hoped it would work.

Opening the door to Tommy’s room, he saw Technoblade sitting on the stool. The pig hybrid’s pink hair was covering his face. His face was hidden in his arms, which was crossed on the bed. The hybrid was still wearing yesterday's clothes, his crown nowhere to be seen though. The man did not stir as Tubbo walked closer. The ram was freaking out. He was caught. The Blade would have him murdered. Or Technoblade would kill Tubbo himself! 

Shaking, the ram stepped closer and closer to Technoblade. After poking the older’s cheek, he decided that Technoblade was dead to the world. Perhaps Tubbo could use this as an opportunity. The chorus fruit masks scent, but not the particles. Having Technoblade asleep would be the best to deter him. Tubbo smiled as he walked around the other side of the bed. He placed his bag down, taking out a few of the chorus fruits. Pulling open the cork of the strength potion, Tubbo dripped a bit onto the fruits he had out. He corked it and placed it back in his bag. He then lifted the bag back over his shoulder, and lifted up Tommy’s form. 

That’s when he noticed the ash. Fuck. Ash? Why the fuck was there ash? He placed the body back down, seeing the wings having deteriorated to ash. Thank Ender there was no deterioration of Tommy’s body. But this only meant he had to hurry. He lifted the body once more, holding the much heavier boy over his shoulder. With a breath, he held up the chorus fruit. The chorus fruit was shining from the strength potion. Placing the extra chorus fruits in his pocket for quick access, he lifted the fruit to his mouth. 

The first initial bite did not transport him anywhere. However, the mix of the strength potion and the odd fruit did not meet his fancy. He wished he could just spit it out, but he could not. Only when he swallowed did he teleport. The feeling was more like a tug in his stomach as he was teleported into a storage room. With another bite, and another, and another after that, he found himself standing in the courtyard surrounded by plant life. He continued to eat, finding his stomach full and down two fruits before he reached the wall. At this point, the castle still had not noticed him teleporting around or that he and Tommy’s corpse had been missing.

But it did not last for long. As he teleported outside the walls, he heard the angry roar of the Blood God. Quickly, he fished out the next chorus fruit, biting into it and chewing as fast as possible. A few more tugs away, he was deep in the forest. Opening his/Tommy’s communicator, a new name popped up with the simple question, “cords?”

Tubbo whispered into the communicator his response and hit send. Setting Tommy’s body beside a tree, he went behind a bush to throw up the chorus fruit he shoved down his throat. He didn’t know what was worse, the disgusting taste of the mix between the fruit and potion or the feeling of purging his stomach. The purple reddish mix of his recent food laid behind the bush with a putrid smell. He hoped it would serve a purpose to disguise Tommy’s scent. However, while he was purging his stomach, a certain horned man walked up to the clearing.

So when Tubbo turned to see the half white and half black man waiting patiently to finish his purging, he did as any child did, screamed. And as he did, the man belched out in Ender. It was distorted and the uneducated ram did not understand the now confirmed enderman. Frowning, Tubbo just quieted down as the Enderman revealed the Dream Kingdom emblem on his shoulder. The patch was under his suit jacket, stitched into his white dress shirt. It was enough for Tubbo to trust him though.

The shouts of guards came closer, as well as the roar of Technoblade. Tubbo needed to act fast. He quickly grabbed Tommy’s corpse and looked at the enderman thing. The lanky hybrid put his hands on the much smaller twelve-year old and then closed his red and green eyes, seemingly concentrating. Tubbo heard the shouts getting closer as the Hound Army ran towards them. His anxiety only creeped up in his throat. 

Tubbo anxiously looked at the glow of the lanterns as the shadows of the trees elongated. The man before him was muttering in Ender but was taking too long. Tubbo needed out of there minutes ago! Fuck! The guards broke free of the brush, shouting at the two. Technoblade ran forward, shouting at Tubbo to drop his brother. But, Tubbo just looked at the Blood God,

“I will get him back…” was all he whispered.

The familiar tug of teleporting that he found to be so nauseating, pulled him and the enderman into the small purple particles that pulled them along the path that the enderman had so carefully carved them. These particles disappeared just as quick as the materialized, leaving Technoblade with no lead to revive his brother. The much powerful god screamed in anguish as he fell to his knees. His pants became soiled in the mud as his hand tore at the clumps of mud in anger. Technoblade lost his brother for the second time.

Dream - 2, Technoblade - 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'alls comments fuel me soooo much!!! Also, Ranboo has entered the sceneeee! Back into the hands of Dream, of course. Very clique, I know, but, Dream has some very special things to do with Tubbo, and who will Ranboo be in this story??? Hmmmm???
> 
> I originally thought of having BBH be the one to pick them up, but last minute changed that decision. I will be editing that out of the previous chapter.


	8. Weeping Tommy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy finds himself in a grey and desolate place with a certain brother of his.

Tommy didn’t know where he was. The last thing he could remember was Tubbo, his best friend, rushing towards him as a pain he had never felt before exploded from his neck. He felt being dropped, by who? He couldn’t remember who the pink haired man was. He knew that the man felt ashamed. But watching his friend rush towards him was awful. Oh how he wished he could reach up and assure his best friend he wasn’t going to die. But, in a deep pit of his stomach, he knew that would be true. 

The pain ebbed away so quick. Tommy knew that those were his final moments. The sickening feeling of the blood seeping in his clothes made him feel awful. Those robes, or was it a cape, had been bought for him. That he knew. The boy could barely remember anything. His eyes fluttered as his mind faltered. A smile fell on his lips. The last few days had been the happiest he ever knew. Prime, he hoped that he would see them again. They each have three lives, and this would only be his first death.

Memories flooded his mind. His smile stayed on his face as he closed his eyes, remembering the times in which Tubbo and him had enjoyed. That one night he and Tubbo had sat by the fire as Tubbo sang a stupid song about how they hadn’t started the fire. Or the memory of him and Tubbo finding a blue wool ball in which Tommy had thrown at Tubbo with the exclamation of something along the lines of “blue premium bond.” The original meaning fell short of his mind. All he remembered was happiness.

As Tubbo faded from his mind, his big brother came into the picture. The feeling of his wings being pruned flooded his sense as it seemed he was sitting in the same den. Fingers ran through his wings. It was almost real. The preteen started to relax, finding himself drifting into the feelings of happiness and the pleasure of his pruning. His mind relaxed, body leaning into the person behind him. Prime, how was this real? Was he back home with big brother Dream? Was this all a nightmare? 

He didn’t dare open his eyes in case he broke the wonderful dream bestowed upon him. His heart yearned for this to be all real. But a rather interesting voice he had never heard before broke his thoughts.

“Theseus?” The hands in his feathers had stopped moving as the rather boyish, but broken voice came through his ears. The voice was sad, which made Tommy more confused. And he called him by that funny name that the pig hybrid would call him sometimes. “Theseus, is that really you?”

The boy opened his eyes, seeing the den of his home still there, but the person behind him was new. The man, well he thinks was a man, wore a funny yellow sweater with typical jeans. The man had a brown beanie with fluffy curly hair coming out from underneath the hat. His face was round with a chin that had a scar crossing it. The striking part was the sad man’s eyes. His eyes were deep brown that held such a sadness in them that there seemed to be no bottom of the pool. His skin was a sickly pale yellow and deep bluish-brown bag resting underneath the pools of sadness. 

The man’s lanky arms reached around Tommy, pressing his body against Tommy’s wings. The man clutched Tommy as if he was going to disappear in thin air. “Prime, you’re not supposed to be here yet. I was so happy when I didn’t see you here when I first arrived, and-and then...well now...now you’re here. Oh, Theseus, I am so sorry…”

“W-who are you?” Tommy spoke, his voice cracking and squeaking like he hadn’t had a sip of water in years. “Where are we? And who is Theseus?”

The man released his tight hold from the younger boy. “A-ah...right, we never officially met after you were kidnapped, Theseus...I’m sorry. I am Wilbur, your brother. This place, well, I don’t know exactly.”

Tommy finally got a good look at his surroundings, noticing the dull, colorless fire. In fact, the fire in the fireplace was a gradient of white to grey. The entire place was a grey domain. Nothing had color here. The animal heads that Dream had carefully placed on the walls after he worked days on perfecting had no color or shine. Dream would be disappointed if he had to live here. Tommy looked down at himself. He had color, so did this Wilbur guy, but nothing else did.

What perplexed him the most was the abrupt announcement that this Wilbur guy was his brother. Tommy suddenly stood up, breaking free from the warm arms of this guy. Wilbur, Wilbur, Wilbur...why was that name so familiar. It was on the tip of his tongue. The name was important to the pink haired man. That he knew. But why was it so that he was his brother when the pink haired man said that Wilbur was his brother...wait.

“If..If I am your brother, and you’re also the brother to the pink haired pig hybrid, then that means...he is my brother too...but he-” It hit him like a train. “He-he...he killed me…”

He collapsed on the couch. There was so much new information that he did not understand. His mind was reeling with the newfound information and his head was screaming with questions he wanted answers for. However, he knew there were no answers there. The man, his brother, rub circles in between the brownish gold wings that laid on his back. He felt tears roll down his face, but when he lifted his hand to wipe away the wetness, there were none. Again, this grey void of a castle was confusing as ever.

Wilbur looked at his brother with a sigh. “I know that Techno did not mean to do that. I cannot explain to you why he did because I am not him. However, I can explain a bit of information to you.”

Wilbur tucked a bit of his hair behind his ear to keep it out of his eyes. Rubbing Tommy’s back, he started to explain the myth of Phoenix’s, and the great society there once was. “Thousands of years ago, there once were twelve divided kingdoms. One kingdom was in the sky, only accessed by winged people. This was the Aether. Another was locked away behind a portal, housing people who could teleport. It is now dubbed the End. They were the smartest of the twelve kingdoms. The kingdom of Hell was also locked away by a portal, but was much easier to access. The people who lived here could survive harsh environments and the constantly increasing temperatures. We now call it the Nether. In what we call the Overworld, 9 more kingdoms were spread far across this land. There were three aquatic kingdoms. A trading kingdom, which consisted of more amphibious creatures, a underwater kingdom, consisting of a great Elder Guardian and his guardians to protect him, and lastly the river kingdom, the friendliest of kingdoms located in a lagoon. Among the land bearing people, there were mainly human kingdoms of all types. East, West, North, and South kingdoms.”

Tommy butted in, looking over his shoulder to watch his sad brother talk.“That leaves two kingdoms left.”

“You’re right Theseus!” The man smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes. “There are two left, the kingdom of Dreamons and the Kingdom of Phoenixes. These two kingdoms were elite. The Dreamons kept hunkered in vast cave systems closest to the strongholds that held the Ender people. Phoenixes lived in large mountains that could almost reach the Aether, but none ever tried. These two kingdoms were always at war. And that war killed them all. The humans became tired of the two elite kingdoms for using their land as the kingdom’s battle ground. So the humans joined forces to destroy all of them. After the destruction of the Dreamons and the Phoenixes, many other wars broke out until hybrids started to appear. Apparently, people were getting frisky with different kingdoms. In order to preserve themselves, the hybrids ended the wars and established hybrid communities. Now, in present day time, there are only hybrid communities, like the Arctic Empire, L’Manburg, El Rapids, and so many more.”

“And what does this have to do with my situation with being dead and all?” Tommy asked.

“I’m getting to that Theseus..” Wilbur flicked the cheek of his brother, looking at him with that same dead smile. “During this time of peace, a new kingdom was founded. This was later dubbed the Dream Kingdom. This kingdom was led by King Dream with his friends, George, Punz, Sapnap, and Eret, that mother fucker.”

Wilbur’s hand clenched as he mentioned the name of Eret. Tommy opened his mouth to ask who these people were. He had never heard of them. At least, that’s what he thought. The names sounded oddly familiar and as he continued to think of them, trying to remember their faces, his mind continued to draw a blank. Who were these people, and why couldn’t he remember.

Wilbur continued the story, “Still, these friends helped get and keep Dream in power. For a long time, Dream held control of everything. But soon new countries started to form. I formed L’Manburg and succeeded from Dream’s kingdom, only to be betrayed by Eret. Dream appeared out of nowhere. No one knows who, or what he is. I, for a long time, believed him to be human. But, Theseus, this is where you come in. Dream wasn’t the only one to appear out of nowhere. One day, back when I was still a 7 year old boy, I was walking out of the Castle to find a bundle of blankets left at the stairs.”

Funnily enough, no guard ever reported anyone leaving them there. However, inside that bundle of blankets, there was you, Theseus. Technoblade always has a fascination with Greek myths even at 4 years old. So, of course, Phil let Techno name you Theseus. We hadn’t had you for even a few months, but I remember those months so fondly. You had the most beautiful golden brown wings. They were so small, just barely tufts of feathers on your back. You were absolutely precious. You were a noisy child though, but Technoblade would read his stories to you and it seemed to be the only thing to soothe you. Not even my own lullabies lulled you to sleep.”

Still, one day, someone had broken into the castle and swept you away. You appeared and then disappeared in only a few moments. At the time, we didn’t know what you were. I only know now because I have been watching from this desolate place. Theseus, you are one of the last phoenixes to be alive. I don’t know why you are here to be exact, Theseus, but I believe it’s because you are only part phoenix, not a full phoenix.”

A scowl formed on Tommy’s face. His entire life...was a lie? Again, his head started to hurt from the massive overflow of information. The entire life he had lived was one of made up lies in order to hold him close? But why? Why did Dream, his brother, kidnap him? The questions laid in his mind with no answers to possibly help ease the splitting migraine that was forming in his temple. Wilbur ran his hands along Tommy’s wings to break him out of his thoughts. 

“I don’t know much about phoenixes, to be completely honest with you. I don’t know if you’ll even remember this conversation. All I know is that I will enjoy every second I have with you Theseus. I am so happy to see you once more..”

But Tommy only weeped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably one of the longest chapters I have written in a LONG time. I apologize about the length. Though, there is a lot to be unearthed here. This was a bit of a history check with Wilbur and Tommy, as well as some brother fluff in here. Someone was wanting to know when Wilbur was coming back, and well, here he is!!
> 
> Let me know your theories! I love to hear them as they may possibly change the story line..If I do adopt a theory, I will tag you!


	9. Rebirth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy and Wilbur experience rebirth, with Wilbur being left behind. Tubbo brings Tommy back to the Dream Kingdom and loses one of his lives for Tommy.

Tommy and Wilbur both did not understand how time worked in the weird realm they were in. Wilbur had previously told Tommy that he had not seen anyone in the castle that they held homage in. The stone walls were familiar to Tommy in a sense, but he could not place his finger on it. He didn’t realize he was forgetting important things until he stood in front of a portrait of a green clad man. The portrait was of someone important -- he knew that -- but he couldn’t recognize the man in the oils. The man wore a crown that reminded Tommy of his own crown. But the man also wore a porcelain mask with a simple two dots for eyes and a creepy smile. The clothes the man wore did not strike Tommy as kingly. He wore black pants, perhaps riding pants, with a green hoodie and a sword at his belt. 

Wilbur walked by, looking at Tommy staring at the figure on the wall. Tommy turned to look at Wilbur before asking the simple question that plagued his mind. Who is the man on the wall? Wilbur’s face contorted into pure shock. He furrowed his brows in confusion, looking at Tommy before realizing. “You can’t remember can you?”

That only confused Tommy more, “Can’t remember what, Wilby?”

“Tommy who is this person?” Wilbur asked, pointing at the painting while looking at Tommy. He had only recently adapted to calling Tommy by the name given to him by Dream.

Tommy frowned. “T-that’s what I was asking you!”

“Think Tommy, think!” Wilbur grabbed his shoulders looking at Tommy. The boy’s eyes only held confusion in their deep blue pools. Wilbur turned and faced him back to the painting. “This painting wasn’t here until you arrived, Toms. This person is important to you. So think!”

Tommy clutched his head, starting to develop a massive migraine. “I can’t. I don’t remember. Hell, I don’t know where we are. Everything is so familiar, but it’s not at the same time.”

Sighing and hugging his younger brother, Wilbur only frowned. “Tommy, this person is Dream. You remember who that is right? You remember that name…”

“Yeah. That name belongs to my brother...Dream is my brother…” 

Wilbur knelt down in front of his kid brother, looking into the sad eyes of Tommy. He saw himself so much in those eyes. Wilbur got his mother’s eyes, but Tommy’s eyes still held the same sadness that was within Wilbur’s. Tommy didn’t know what made Wilbur lose the last of his lives. Tommy was naive about Wilbur blowing up his own country after sacrificing his lives to it. Wilbur didn’t know if he even had the heart to tell Tommy that he died at Dream's hands. It was so wrong, so horribly wrong to lie to his brother, but in that instance, Wilbur knew he had to. Tommy had been through a lot, and Wilbur doubted Tommy would even remember this conversation when he was revived. 

Still kneeling, Wilbur finally spoke, “Toms, Dream may be your brother because he raised you, but that does not mean you can just forget him when your new family comes around. You have to remember, Toms. When you leave here and ultimately return to the Land of the Living, you have to remember what Dream has done to you and for you. I cannot make that decision. Only you can, Tommy.”

Tommy hugged his brother, clutching onto his trench coat. Lanky arms wrapped around his body as Wilbur hugged him back. The two boys clutched each other close as Tommy began to sob into the yellow sweater underneath Wilbur’s coat. Both hoped that Tommy would keep his memories, but it seemed the longer they were in the castle, the quicker the memories went. So they spent time writing down Tommy’s memories into books so that if Wilbur ever was to leave this castle and travel to the Land of the Living, he could give Tommy his books back. It was highly unlikely, but it was the only sensible solution at the time.

One evening while both were sitting in the den, Tommy felt the excruciating pain in his chest. The pain made him clutch his heart and double over in pain as fire spread from his heart down to every nerve in his body. His own fingernails pulsed with pain as he felt the pain flare back up. Wilbur, who had been sitting behind him as he ran his fingers through Tommy’s wings, had been hit by the wings as they opened. The scream that was heard by the castle was one of both pain and despair. Tommy looked back at Wilbur, who had freed himself from his fluffy enclosure.

“I don’t wanna go, Wilby..”

“You gots to, mate,” Wilbur rubbed circles in between the two bones sprouting from Tommy’s back. “I’ll be there shortly when I figure my way out of here. I’ll be there Toms.”

Tommy screamed as his insides seemed to turn to ash. He coughed up black soot, looking at Wilbur. The image was seared into Wilbur’s mind as he watched his brother burn to ash from an unknown fire that raged inside Tommy. The ashes that were once his brother held a single orange feather. It was the only reminder that Tommy had even been there. Wilbur picked it up, carefully as he was afraid it would turn to ash in his clutch. Tears rolled down from his own eyes. He already missed him.

\---

It had taken Tubbo far too long to get back to Dream’s palace. The enderman hybrid, Ranboo, had not been able to teleport them far enough. Instead, the hybrid teleported them to the border of the Dream and Arctic Empire and promptly collapsed. Tubbo hadn’t noticed the passed out hybrid until after he hurled the last of the chorus fruit out of his system. Seeing as Tubbo had already been carrying Tommy’s corpse, he realized that could not lift both him and Ranboo’s bodies. Instead, he made a temporary camp to shelter them from the monsters of the night. The morning after, Ranboo teleported them once more, but it was just enough for them to land in the courtyard of the Dream palace. 

Ranboo passed out as soon as their feet hit the stone bricks. The guards quickly aimed their weapons at the two, watching as Ranboo fell with a sickening crack. Tubbo quickly placed Tommy down to hurl once more. He was still in the process of throwing up when Dream walked into the courtyard.

The man’s simple ‘tsk’ of his tongue was enough to make the ram back into the submissive servant he once was. He calmed his stomach, turning to see his master standing with his hand on the hilt of his sword and his other hand on his hip. Tubbo quickly stood, leaning over only to pick up the blanket that covered Tommy. Carefully, he removed the blanket to show Dream the pale and lifeless corpse of Tommyinnit. Dream made a hum of approval before turning and walking away with the expectation that Tubbo would follow him.

Tubbo did as he always had done. He followed Dream like a perfect servant, holding the corpse of his best friend. As he followed the hunter in front of him, the hunter spoke in a soft and seemingly kind voice. “Tubbo, you’ve done a great thing for me. We will discuss the punishment for your first failure, however, you have still returned him to me. And right on time too. He has only just started to disappear.”

Tubbo had noticed how light he was becoming. There seemed to be something falling off of Tommy as they walked. Tubbo tried to pay no mind to it. As they continued to walk towards the lab, Dream continued to speak. “Tubbo, have you heard of phoenixes?”

“I heard Philza speaking of them. Yes.”

“Well, Tubbo, you’re holding one. A hybrid, as there are no more full phoenixes anymore, but still. A phoenix with infinite lives. As long as he has someone that is of the same age. That is where you come in Tubbo…”

“Philza was saying something like that as well. But, it can’t be that easy can it?”

“No, it’s not,” Dream turned towards a large iron door. It led down, but not towards the dungeons as everyone thought. Rather, it led to a darker secret. “The body only has two weeks before it becomes dust. Even though the dust could sometimes be used to revive them, hybrids do not have that ability. Hybrids have to have a life for a life. A life that is the same age, with the same similarities. You, Tubbo, will exchange one of your three lives to Tommy. The kicker is, the hybrid can only take one life from one person. If Tommy dies again, he can’t take your life to be reborn.”

Tubbo followed the man down the stairs. He had already accepted death before he had even decided to steal Tommy away. It still surprised him how complicated the revival would be. 

“The other condition is that you, Tubbo, cannot die in the process. You also have to ingest a potion of rebirth. It is a fickle thing, but we have it prepared for you.”

Stepping into the room, Tubbo was practically blinded by the amount of light illuminating the room. The floor was made of iron blocks with polished diorite counters. There were barrels of supplies everywhere as well as brewing stands. In the middle of the room were two beds. Beside one of the beds was Ponk, the doctor that would monitor the both of them. It wouldn’t surprise Tubbo if Ponk was the one to make the potion.

“Hey Tubbo,” the doctor calmly greeted. Behind the mask, Tubbo could see his clenched jaw. He was worried. “Place Tommy here, why don’t ya? Then climb into the bed over here.”

The preteen calmed himself, nodding and placing Tommy down onto the bed. He pulled the blanket off of him, exposing the Arctic Empire clothes he was dressed in. Dream seemingly ignored it as he watched from the side of the room. Tubbo took a deep breath, looking over at Tommy once more before climbing into the bed himself. Ponk walked over with the orange potion in hand. The potion itself looked more like a fire resistance potion, but as Tubbo uncorked it and sniffed, he couldn’t smell the magma cream that usually was put into that potion. Instead he smelt something of sweet melons and ash. 

Dream kept his eye on Tubbo, watching him down each drop of the potion. Tubbo clenched his eyes closed, the potion burning as it went down his throat. Ponk mentioned something about vodka being in the potion. Liquid courage. Right. Tubbo leaned back, letting the doctor attach monitoring equipment onto him. Ponk then turned and did the same for Tommy. As the heart monitor was attached, there was a consistent beep that did not turn off as the machine attempted to find a heartbeat. 

Ponk looked down at the two boys, shaking his head. He couldn’t believe he was about to do this to someone, kids nonetheless. But, Dream stood in the corner, and Ponk valued his own life. So he started the procedure, dripping the same potion into Tommy’s IV as he started another IV that connected Tubbo to Tommy. The procedure required the blood of the sacrifice to fuel the body of the deceased. 

Tubbo felt the effects of his blood leaving him almost exactly five minutes after the drip had started. He felt sluggish, weak, and he couldn’t wiggle his own toes. His mind, that was previously reeling with fear, was now calm as Tubbo closed his own eyes. He was so tired, so very tired. And cold. Why was it so cold? Probably because they’re underground. Is this what Tommy felt like as he died? At least it was calming. 

It had only been five minutes when Dream heard the second heart monitor start a consistent beep. He moved from his place at the corner of the room to Tommy’s side. Ponk waited until the last drop of blood came from Tubbo before he pulled the IV from the boy. The potion would keep him from respawning for twelve hours, but the procedure only took an hour. Ponk pulled the IV from Tommy and bandaged his arm before moving Tubbo to a different room. From the book, Ponk concluded that Tommy, while he wouldn’t be a full blow baby, would be intellectually younger. Anything that had happened within the last few months would be erased. 

The story that Dream and he had come up with was that Tommy and Dream had been flying when Tommy had hit the ground too hard when he was coming in from his flying. He would have amnesia, but he was relatively fine. Tubbo and Tommy would be separated until Tubbo was finished with his punishment and up to date on what he was allowed to say around Tommy. Until then, he would strictly be by Dream’s side. Neither Ponk or Dream wanted Tommy to wake up with his dead best friend beside him. 

It was only a few minutes after Ponk had moved Tubbo when the smell of burning started. Any part of Tommy that was once ashes were burned to nothing. It was mainly feathers on his wings, no flesh, but he was missing a fair bit of feather. But, Dream would only lie and say that they were casualties of his fall. Once the burning had stopped, the heart monitor started to beep again, this time rather than one long constant beep, it was a series of beeps. 

A deep breath was taken by the unconscious preteen. Tommyinnit was alive once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the delay!! I am starting to stream hardcore on Twitch while also setting up a discord. Whoop!


	10. Check and Mate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo wakes and get's punished. Technoblade starts his conquest as the Blood God
> 
> TW: Gore, Manipulation, and Taxidermy. There will be a warning before the initial scene and then right before the start of the scene. It continues on till the end of the chapter. It is not insanely gore heavy, but there is descriptions of it. Read at your own disclosure.

Dream was the first to notice the breath from the preteen. Ponk was forced to watch as the brutal man took off his mask. The doctor had to say that the man’s acting skills were on par with the best actors out there. He was also surprised that Dream had taken his mask off in front of him. What surprised him the most was Dream’s rather childish face. His chin was round with a smooth jawline rather than the sharp one he expected. Fluffy blonde hair cascaded in a slightly curly fashion as it was released from the clasps of the mask. Soft freckles dotted the man’s nose and up to his forehead. His green eyes showed such a real concern that almost made Ponk feel pity. But, he stopped himself as he saw the eyes sharpen at a Ponk.

Ponk averted his gaze to the documents in his hands. He had grabbed them as he heard Tommy begin to breathe once more. Quickly, Ponk took the vitals of the undead kid he had just frankensteined. Everything seemed normal, other than low levels of oxygen. 88 was low compared to the typical 99. Placing the clipboard on the side table, he started fixing up an oxygen tank. Once he had the oxygen mask on the preteen, he started doing other tests, such as testing his heart, blood tests, and hair samples. 

Observing the blood from a microscope off on the side, he discovered the rather interesting mutations that were occurring to Tommy right in that moment. The DNA that was originally Tubbo’s was mutating in a cancerous fashion. However, the mutations were happening as the blood DNA was mutated to match Tommy’s original strand. The potion had done its job correctly in not only allowing Tubbo’s body to delay respawning, but also to change his own DNA to accept a phoenix gene. When he respawned, Ponk would have to test and see if that DNA mutation was still there.

Dream had yet to move from Tommy’s side. Ponk kept assuring him that his body has to go through several changes, and he would wake once he gained back his strength. Ponk typically stayed and checked up on Tubbo. Dream ordered him to keep Tubbo in the side room, locked. Tubbo didn’t wake until 2 days later. When he did, Ponk was beside him, helping him get accustomed to dying and returning with only two lives left. The entire process was hard. When one dies, they feel excruciating pain from the thing that killed them. If someone died to a creeper, then they would wake in their bed with a burn scar that seemed to always hurt. No matter what the individual was killed by, their scar would always hurt. Considering the potion combined with blood loss, Ponk could only assume that Tubbo would be constantly in pain while cold. Yet, while Tubbo did shiver from the chill, his pain was only partial. 

Tubbo himself felt the pain always. In the back of his mind, he assumed it would never end. In an attempt to try and console himself, he attempted to forget the pain. Ponk started to explain the situation presented to him. He had two options. He wasn’t exactly needed to revive Tommy again considering a hybrid only could take a life from someone once. On the other hand, Ponk wanted to see the after effects of the potion. Tubbo briefly remembered that Dream had said he wanted to punish Tubbo. However, Ponk said he could possibly help against that. Currently, even though he wasn’t valuable to Tommy, Tubbo was valuable to the doctor. 

“Tubbo, Dream will punish you, but I can keep him from taking another life as long as you agree to become my lab assistant..”

The ram looked at his shaking hands. The chill seemed to keep him in a constant state of shivering. Bending his arms took so much strength, he barely thought he could stand. How was he supposed to do anything if he couldn’t even hold up his arms for long. He would only burden Ponk, and he rather not have Ponk be punished if he fucked up. “No...I can’t do that. My objective from before still stands. I have to face Dream…”

“Then I have to let you know that Dream is separating you two.”

“Yeah, I expected that, to be honest,” the ram looked from his shaking hands. “Ponk, I may wake up in this bed again soon…”

“Let’s hope you don’t..” But they both knew that returning to Dream would lead to him being in that bed within the week.

But, Tubbo wasn’t expecting what was coming…

\----

Technoblade had locked himself in his brother’s room ever since Theseus was taken for the second time. When Phil had heard the heart wrenching scream, his imagination predicted what had happened. He didn’t know it at that moment, but eventually the crushing news hit him. Phil had never even made it to the baby room when he heard the news from his Guard Commander. The commander was kneeling to his king, saying the three words that crushed Phil’s world for the third time. “Tubbo took Theseus.”

He turned the corner of the hall to see Technoblade storming down the hall. He lacked his cape, but his blade was out. His eyes were a dark red. The last time Phil had seen those eyes were when Theseus died. The same red was just as dark as the blood that covered his son’s clothes. He knew of his son’s voices, and while he could never understand them, in that moment, he swore he could feel the bloodlust of the voices in his own head. In fact, he was positive everyone within Technoblade’s presence could hear the Blood God whispering in their ears.

Technoblade’s hand gripped the axe as  **FIND THE RAM** the Blood God demanded what was  **RIGHTFULLY HIS** . Technoblade’s interesting predicament was much more complex than one thought. Many referred to Technoblade as the Blood God, however, Technoblade was only the Champion of the Blood God. The Blood God and his loyal followers who followed the god to death lived in Technoblade’s mind. And at times, the chat could be annoying. Yet in that moment, Technoblade and the Chat were at one. 

‘Let’s  **HUNT AND KILL THE RAM** and get Theseus back!’ the plague entered his mind, interrupting all rational thought. The hand from his closest friend, who also happened to be his father, was what pulled him out of his blood lust trance. The chat stalled for a moment before firing back up after Phil gave him a direct order. “Techno, get Theseus back.”

Unable to betray a direct order, the hybrid smiled in glee. What was presumed to be a dark red in his eyes before was turned to black. The insanity on his face was strong, his thirst for blood unquenchable. The voice that came out of the man before Phil was not Technoblade’s, but rather the voice of a God he had never met. “I’ll make you proud, old man.”

The hybrid scratched the cape from a servant. He slung it over one of his shoulders. While he was fastening the cape, he spun on his heel, walking down the hall with his nose to the air. A simple comment came from the hybrid god. “Chorus fruit. A tactical plan, but nothing to stop me..” The god looked over his shoulder to the commander who stood behind Phil. “Secure the area and defend the castle. Expect anything. White currently has us at check, but not a mate.”

The God then followed the lingering scent of a chorus fruit. His footsteps were unnaturally loud for a man seemingly taking his time walking down the hall. Some wondered why he was taking such a long time to find the prince, but Technoblade was only following the scent of chorus fruit and betrayal. Besides, in a game of chess, it’s always good to take your time while playing.

\----TW: Gore and Taxidermy----

Dream called for Ponk to deliver Tubbo to the dungeon for his punishment. Tubbo could barely stand, much less walk, however, he made the effort to walk towards his doom. The dungeon stunk of the typical earthy smell and the metalic scent of either blood or chains. Tubbo knew not to leave Dream waiting, but when Ponk opened the cell, Ponk was tempted to shut it once more. The ram walked in, freezing in the doorway as he saw the table sitting in the middle of the room.

The table was lined with a cloth, but what was most concerning was the tools laid across the table as well as the horn. Unconsciously, Tubbo reached up and felt his horn stump. However, the respawn had not been able to repair his horn nor the large D scar on his forehead. Dream stared down at him behind the mask, but Tubbo knew the poisonous green eyes behind the mask were not going to let him continue to stand in the doorway. With a bravado that Tubbo didn’t think he had, he stepped into the room, walking toward the table.

“Good ram,” the masked man commented. Tubbo turned, climbing onto the bed as the iron door clicked to a close.

\----TW BEGINNING: Gore, Manipulation, Taxidermy----

The soft but calloused hand combed the long curly locks that Tubbo cherished so much. He had yet to lay down onto the bed, which seemed to amuse the King beside him. In that moment, he cherished the kind hand that was scratching in just the right spot. Right behind his horn, but close to his ear was the go to spot, and it made him let out a small bleat. That made the man chuckle and remove his hand.

Tubbo shut his mouth as the man picked up a pair of scissors. The man, who had yet to command Tubbo in any way, started to speak. “You know why I have to do this, Tubbo. You didn’t bring Tommy home quick enough. In fact, you almost made me lose him.” He began to trim the ram’s hair to the desired length, even trimming the fur on Tubbo’s ear. “I’m sure that you have met your father now. Aren’t you glad I never let him near you? I heard he hates your guts. I heard him say that you aren’t his son.”

Tubbo swallowed. How had Dream heard of the things Schlatt had said to Tubbo. He tried not to react, but the tears started to pool in his eyes. He didn’t even feel them drip down his face. But, Dream had noticed. The man put down his scissors, a gruesome smile on his face as he looked at the ram. He grabbed a scalpel, gripping Tubbo’s hair with his left hand with a rough grip. He yanked the ram’s head back, staring at the neck of his least favorite hybrid. “I am kind to you, Tubbo. I let you in when no one else would. You live with a King. Many hybrids would love to be like you Tubbo..”

The masked man took off his mask, looking down at the hybrid with his poisonous green eyes. Dream looked at the neck of his prey, looking for the best area to start his procedure. His grip tightened as he steadied the blade against the bone of Tubbo’s jaw. He pressed lightly, just enough to break through the skin. With a delicate hand, he started to cut along the jawline of the servant. His breathing was quiet, focused as he began to slice the blade through Tubbo’s young skin. Of course, Dream wanted the cut to be perfect so that when he stitched it back together for his mount, the incision would not be seen. However, the pain was hard for the ram. He knew he had to stay still for the man, but his natural instinct took over. He jerked.

“Stop moving, Tubbo,” the man’s voice was quiet like death.

The ram whimpered, trying to slow his rapid heart and collect his breaths. His breathing was labored as the man rested his forearm on his throat. The slicing of his skin was painful, but so far bearable. The slickness of the blood unnerved him. His blood felt warm, like someone had dripped warm honey or wax onto his throat. However, the sensation of his skin being sliced did not help with the continuous pain he felt.

Dream leaned back, smiling at his work before using a rough white rag to clean up some of the blood. “You have about 5 minutes before you bleed out and die, Tubbo. But just know, I will be there when you wake up. And, if you dare betray me again, I will take your final life, Tubbo. That’s a promise.” The man hummed for a moment. “Or should I let the blood thirsty Technoblade do so? The world is filled with the chaos and blood lust of the Blood God. I assume he is fueling Technoblade.”

The man lowered Tubbo down onto the bed, now starting to cut up his jaw and around the back of his ear but in front of his horn. Pausing, the man murmured seemingly to himself, but the ram could hear the comment. “I wonder if Tommy would react well to watching Technoblade take his best friend’s final life. Oh the betrayal when I finally let Tommy know who his family really is..”

The man leaned back and let out a tea kettle laugh. The laugh was loud, leaving the man wheezing and sputtering for air. It didn’t last long. The man had to act quick as his specimen was dying before him. The man leaned down and rubbed a hand through Tubbo’s hair. The touch was comforting even at his death bed. Tubbo closed his eyes, feeling the tears that had yet to fall slip down the sides of his face. Tubbo sucked in a shuddering breath. His body was already tired before this. He so desperately wished to close his eyes forever. Prime, Ender, whatever god was out there, he prayed for their forgiveness and hoped for a better last life. 

He opened his eyes as the man finally caught his breath. The man continued to pet through his hair. “Don’t worry Tubbo. You may never be my brother, but I promise you that I will make your wish true. I’ll give you the best last life,”

The ram closed his eyes once more, dying in the comfort of his own abuser as he continued to rub his head even as he sliced away at his own skin. Dream knew that Tubbo’s respawn would take longer this time as he was slicing away at Tubbo’s body. Yet, that didn’t stop Dream from speaking out loud with all his plans to the corpse that was below him. The man worked for hours down in the dungeon, filling the closed space with the sickly metalic smell of iron and blood.

At the end of his long and endless work, the man had a beautiful taxidermied hybrid ram head. The head was drilled into a dark oak plaque that had gold lettering underneath it.

“TUBBO”

“Dream’s Best Pet”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, thoughts on how I did Technoblade's voices? I wanted to expand on the idea that the Blood God is a deity that has gotten Technoblade to be his champion. The voices are past Vessels and Champions or Devotees to the Blood God who followed him to death. I am thinking of doing a spin off of this series to explain what happened during the time of Tommy's kidnapping and his return via the POV of Technoblade. I don't have lot of experience with 1st person, but I do want to experiment with it.
> 
> Also, long chapter pog? I heard y'all like them a lot better, so here y'all are!!


	11. The InBetween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy wakes. Karl meets an interesting ghost in the InBetween

It took four more days until Tommy started to stirr. His breathing and vitals had stayed stable the entire time. When Dream wasn’t by his side, Ponk was. The doctor was forced to update Dream with any sign of movement from the preteen. So, when Tommy started to stirr, he immediately pulled out his communicator and urgently messaged Dream to hurry down to the lab. He was not surprised when the green clad man rushed in. 

Dream was dressed differently. He had been dressing in his royal garments as he was spending more and more time at the castle. Instead of his normal hoodie, he wore a white button down with his collar being open but adorned with a green gem and golden chains. He wore a green cape that rested on his shoulders. The cloak had no trim, just a simple forest green cloak made for his more mundane days. He still wore his riding pants and long boots. Somethings just never change. 

The man knelt down beside Tommy’s bed, his mask now sitting on the table beside the bed. They had moved him back to his childhood room so that they could keep him comfortable. Ponk rehearsed the lie in his head as he started to double check vitals. He noted that his blood had almost completely taken over Tubbo’s DNA, however, a small percentage stayed. He assumed this is why Tubbo’s blood will never work again. 

Tommy made a whining noise, a hand reaching up to feel the scar that was on his neck. Ponk looked at Dream who was invested in his so-called brother. Dream laid a gloved hand on the side of Tommy’s face. The soft leather is what pulled Tommy out of his restless state. The boy opened his blue eyes only to be blinded by the gold glow coming from his windows. Quickly, he closed his eyes once more. He moved his hand from his neck, covering his eyes with that arm. He groaned once more, slowly noticing the petting hand on his face.

He opened his eyes again, looking over to his side seeing the worried face of his brother. Immediately, he knew something wasn’t right. For an odd reason, he had a sense of pain in his neck, but his memories were blank. He had an odd sensation of knowing what had happened but no memories were there to back up his thoughts. Frowning, he sat up, murmuring an odd name that was on the tip of his tongue. He looked over at Dream with a confused face.

“Who is Wilbur?”

\---

Ghosts weren’t common among the land of the living. Many people thought that ghosts were just fables or that ghosts aren't real at all. However, the ghosts that were present in the world could all collectively agree that the world was much different than what they remembered. In order to cross from the Void to the Overworld, one would have to sacrifice their memories. Oddly enough, the ghosts could sometimes remember certain things. Either good or bad, these ghosts would play important parts into the survival of the world. 

But Wilbur didn’t understand it at all. He was so very confused. Where was he? Why was he here? He remembered choosing to go back, but he didn’t understand why he was there to be clear. The place he was in was obviously Dream’s castle, but this was not the overworld. He couldn’t see anyone. The place was a dull grey, seemingly stopped in time. The place didn’t make sense. That was until he arrived.

It was well before Tommy arrived, but again, time was weird where he was at. He remembered defacing another one of the books that had inaccurate knowledge when he turned a corner seeing the rather grey and desolate sweater. He would have normally never noticed him, but his hair had color. That is what intrigued him. And when he moved to face Wilbur, that only made him even more curious. The man wasn’t translucent like Wilbur was. Instead, he was rather solid, still grey, but solid.

The two stared for a moment longer before the man stepped closer. The man asked what would be seen as simple, but the context was more complex than ever. “How are you here?”

“Where is here?” Wilbur asked in rebuttal.

“The InBetween, of course…but still, how are you here? You are a ghost…”

Wilbur scoffed. “Well I thought it was pretty obvious, considering everything. But, what is this InBetween. It’s nothing like the Void.”

The man looked away, then back at him. “There’s a reason you're here. Obviously the InBetween wants you here, but I don’t know why…”

Wilbur came closer to the man who seemed devoid of color even though his hair and skin were filled of the same healthy color of all living beings. That confused the dead man more. How was he, a dead ghost, interacting with the living? That was strictly prohibited by the laws he had originally signed. Frowning again, he looked at the man.

“The name’s Wilbur…”

“I know,” the man looked down at a journal he was holding. The words seemed to materialize on the pages, but Wilbur couldn’t decipher the language. However the man could easily read it. “I’m Karl, Karl Jacobs.”

“Wait, how do you know who I am Karl?”

The man only looked at him and smiled. The smile was one full of secrets but overflowing with a happiness Wilbur had never seen. “I’ll have to inform you later. I will see you after? Alright?”

“After what?” The ghost blinked and suddenly Karl wasn’t there anymore. 

Only a few days, or what he thought were days, later, Tommy was laying in the same hall Karl had been in. Now, sitting in the same hall where the two strangest appearances he had ever experienced, Wilbur wondered what the man had told him. He knew very little about this place other than the name and somehow it was out of the normal time continuum. It only made him more curious, but he could not find a single book about the place. It was like that place had been attempting to keep its secrets away from Wilbur.

So, Wilbur waited for the man named Karl on the white bench in the hall. Perhaps he would give the answers he wanted, or maybe the InBetween would release him back to the Void, or better yet, the Overworld. Either way, he hoped to get some information on Tommy.

When Karl did appear, he offered Wilbur the most valuable secret he would ever know. Karl looked at the ghost dressed in the same grey clothes as before. “Wilbur, I am a traveler of time, one of the only. This place, the InBetween, is just as confusing to me as it is to you, but I can confirm that this place is my home. The InBetween needed you here for reasons I don’t understand, but now they want you to join me. So will you?”

The knowing man seemed so intelligent while also knowing nothing. It made no sense to Wilbur, but the hand that was offered to him was too tempting not to grab. So, Wilbur did as any normal person would do. He grabbed the hand and prayed to the creator, DreamXD, that he would retain his memories. He closed his eyes on the grey desolate castle…

...to open them to a world of color.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter, but lots of new info and plot twists to come. I am going to be posting a few different endings with different books that follow those endings for the continued story. I will only be posting one book at a time as I write the alternate endings, so please be patient. There is going to be a few different endings and only the ones that have a fair amount of comments/votes will get their sequels. Please bare with me!
> 
> Also, check out this work in the mean time:
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/28864098/chapters/70805403


	12. The Blood God

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Technoblade is rushing to reach Tommy in the Dream Kingdom, but finds himself in a pickle

The cold slush squelched under the hooves of the diamond clad horse. The horse was long since tired, yet he continued on for the sake of his master. The horse snorted, it’s breath puffing in a small grey cloud. It was freezing. The sun had set and without the warm rays of her beautiful grace, the slush was beginning to freeze over. Carl’s hooves were freezing, yet he continued on. For the sake of his master, he had to continue on. The bond they had was filled with anger, but also a confusing emotion Carl never felt. Fear. And that same fear was riddled into his own skull as he forced himself to continue on into the night. If his master was fearful then something terribly wrong must have happened.

Carl spots a small cave, turning himself so that he could walk towards it. His master does not protest. Both steed and master were tired. Carl knew that if Technoblade did not get rest, he would not be able to fight at his best. So they walk into the cave, Technoblade dismounting before he enters, finding no monsters. There was a remains of a campfire, but it had long since been abandoned. Technoblade used the remaining scraps of the campfire to make another one. With the fire now warming him and Carl, he begins to take off the armor that laid on the horse’s back. Just like how Carl knew Technoblade needed rest, technoblade knew that Carl also needed rest in order to operate at full strength. 

After he pulls the last of the armor off of the steed, he begins to pull off his own armor. They were close to the palace but far away enough that they should not be spotted by the guards. Technoblade heated a piece of steak on the fire, a few sticks holding the piece of meat up. He then turns to his potion supply. He counts, then recounts, and counts once more and supplies the information into a vault in his brain. For once, Technoblade was glad the Blood God had taken precaution to pack more than enough potions for the travel and fight. A small though crossed his mind amongst the several voices that invaded his privacy:  _ Must be for Theseus _ . As quickly as the thought came, he dismissed it. 

The Blood God loved no one. The ancient deity only lusted for blood to be spilled. It was a fact that the Blood God did not love his brother, but rather Technoblade lost himself to the lust of the blood of Dream and the traitorous goat, Tubbo. The Blood God only chuckled lightly in the ear of Technoblade. A pair of phantom hands laid themselves onto his shoulders. Normally, Technoblade would have reacted, but Technoblade knew that these hands were no one’s. He repressed a cold shiver as the Blood God leaned over and whispered directly in his ear. The voice deafened all other voices in his head.

“Our Promise still stands, Technoblade,” the disembodied voice whispered from the shadows of the room. But, Technoblade knew exactly where the voice originated. “Champion, give into the blood lust and Dawn will be painted with the red of our enemies blood. I promised his protection when you first came to me, didn’t I?”

_ He remembered it like the infamous day was yesterday. He had always heard the Blood God’s call. His family, the piglin faction of the Blade, had been devoted followers of the Nether God, the Blood God. Each child had been blessed with the Blood God’s presence since birth. Technoblade remembers little to nothing about his faction or his original family, but the memory of their demise remains with him. He was a babe, only born a few months prior to the destruction that would lay waste to his people. The information that another Champion had been born was yet to reach the ears of the other factions. That would prove to be beneficial to him. _

_ The factions of the Nether were split between species and even more so after that. The Blade Faction had been the spokesperson for the Piglin race for eons. Many of the other tribes believed that to be wrongful to their rights. The factions had conspired and allied with each other. They came to the conclusion that the only way to win the Champion title was to get rid of the bloodline. With no bloodline to fall onto, the Blood God must support another faction. Whoever spilled the most blood could win the favor of the God. Or so they thought. _

_ The Blade Faction did not know of the impending attack. Normally, the Blood God would warn them of the awaiting doom, however, the God had already transferred to the babe that laid fast asleep in a bastion nursery. They never expected themselves to be attacked. With the use of stealth and surprise, the strength of the combined four factions took down the infamous Blade faction. The piglins then looted and robbed the bastion, coming across the babe. An elder warrior of the mismatched army convinced the others to not kill the baby as the baby could not possibly be the descendant of the Blade rulers. They would have known if the baby was a royal or not. Instead, they collapsed the area around the nursery, letting the baby die in solitude. _

_ But, luckily for the poor baby, a certain traveler dressed in a green kimono with large wings that loved to get into trouble came just in time to hear a wail. Yet this time, the wings led him to crying babe that was trapped behind the collapsed bastion walls. When Philza had reached the bastion, the overwhelming scent of blood hit his nose. The screeching baby filled his ears as he trudged through the ocean of bodies. The entire bastion was unstable. The tribes did not leave a soul alive except for the baby, and with that, they did not expect anyone to try and come to the rescue of the baby. Yet, Philza pushed forward, almost slipping into the fiery death that awaited him below. The lava would never be able to burn Philza though.  _

_ Philza reached the nursery, pulling away the broken rubble and picking up the bundle of blankets. His eyes peered into the blankets to find a soot covered face of a six month old Technoblade. Philza knew of the factions, he was a king who had several trade relationships with the piglins. He knew the Blade family very well. It was no surprise that the other factions would soon overthrow the Blade family, but he had not expected to find the next Champion in his arms. So the Angel of Death blessed the battlefield and all it’s slaughtered innocents a safe and protected travel to the afterlife. He prayed to his Mistress for her to bless the babe he carried with the same three lives that overworlders received.  _

_ With his original mission long forgotten, Philza took the piglin child back to his kingdom., Technoblade found himself being raised as the Prince of the Arctic Kingdom. There, Technoblade was taught about the Deities of the world. Philza would always care for him, even when he accidentally hurt Wilbur in their play fights. The Blood God had manifested his voice in Technoblade’s head when he had turned one. But, Technoblade never outrightly spoke to the God until the day that Tommy was taken.  _

_ The God whispered in his mind, as the piglin sat on the floor of his room. His figurines laid beside him forgotten. His mind was fearful. Tommy was only a few months old like he had been. Within those few months, Technoblade had almost simmered down from his normal rageful child tendencies to a careful big brother. But, now, Tommy was gone. And the Blood God knew exactly how to manipulate the child. “Become my Champion, Technoblade. All you have to do is become my Champion, my Child, and I will avenge your brother.” _

_ Technoblade didn’t even think. The words spilled out of his childish mouth without a second thought. “Yes!” _

Technoblade shook the memory out of his head, finding himself smelling the familiar soot of the bastion. It was an odd sensation, being able to remember the death of his entire Faction even at such a young age. However, he knew that it was the work of the Blood God. The God was right. His promise still stood. The Blood God would keep his promise, just like Technoblade had kept his side of the promise. The piglin trained to become the best. His tactics were like no other, his attacks left no survivors, and he never came out with a scratch. Technoblade was a formidable foe to face. But, it was the Blood God who had done it all. The combined strength and intelligence from the God was all Technoblade needed to destroy his foes.

But, it did not keep Technoblade from overthinking. What if Tommy was still dead? What if he was ash now? And, what if Dream was able to kill him? The voices chimed in with simple words of encouragement, but ultimately with only bad advice and no motivation. This would be no easy task. The voices agreed He had no plan. The castle would be harder to penetrate with the devil himself there. The masked man seemed to know all of Technoblade’s moves. Dream was the only one who stood a chance against Technoblade. All others had fallen to the enchanted blade that rested on his hip. The runes that were etched into the netherite steel had glowed with each life the Orphan Obliterator had taken. But, never did the blade even get enough of Dream’s blood to be satisfied. 

The smell of steak hit his nose. The scent broke him from his thoughts just as a cold snout hit his cheek. A small huff came from his loyal steed. Dark brown eyes bore into red eyes. An internal conversation between master and steed ended as the steed once again nudged his master’s hand. The warrior huffed, rolling his eyes, and grabbed the steak that was starting to burn. With no thought to burning himself, he tore into the meat, chewing with no thought to the animal. He pulled out a journal, holding the stick of meat with his left hand and using that elbow to hold down the book. He positioned his leg so that he could write on the worn paper that laid inside the book. The book held lines of simple poetry that Technoblade wrote in on occasion. It was the best way to get his thoughts out from the prison of his mind.

Shortly after he finished his meal and him feeding his steed only the best golden apples in the land, he nuzzled up to his horse for the long needed sleep. The horse turned his own head to lay in the lap of his master, both slipping to the blissful dark abyss of sleep.

\----

The sleep did not last long as a stick prodded the side of the sleeping beast. Firstly, Technoblade thought it was Philza attempting to wake him from where he fell asleep in the library. However, the birds chirping and the weight in his lap made him jerk alert. With his jerking, Carl also woke, standing with the same speed that Technoblade stood. The piglin hybrid unsheathed his sword and hardened his gaze on the surprise waiting in front of him. His eyes settled on a rather colorful man with reddish brown hair and similar colored brown eyes. The man had an odd swirl on his jacket with a K and a J sown into the fabric. 

But when his eyes landed on the man behind the colorful one, the sword slipped from his hand. The man was ghostly, but at the same time visible. The beanie was the same one Technoblade had given him when he had earned enough allowance to get it for him. The man that stood before Technoblade was the same man the piglin had grown up with. However, there was a significant difference. The trench coat which the flag of L’Manburg was so carefully etched into was missing from the shoulders of his brother. His eyes were missing the wild energy they normally had. In front of him was only the shell of his brother.

Gruffly, the piglin composed himself and eyed the men, “Wilbur, what did I tell you about dying?”

The man laughed, pushing the other colorful man out of the way. “Ah, Techno! Gosh, have I ever told you that color suits you? I can’t begin to explain everything, only that I will never take color for granted anymore. Pink is such a great color for you.”

Wilbur pressed blue coated hands onto the face of his brother, making two blue handprints on the sides of his face as Wilbur cooed at the fierce warrior like a baby. The piglin did not react, instead looking at the man behind his brother that was now standing awkwardly beside the armor that laid on the ground. The rays of the sun poured in, shining on the armor that gleamed around the room. The enchantments of the armor reflected the light much more than the diamond horse armor did. The entire cave was lit with the simple sunlight.

But, that did not cause Technoblade to become rather worried about the character that somehow found his brother. Technoblade grabbed the wrists of his brother’s blue coated hands. The solidified appendages almost make Technoblade think his brother was alive, but when he looked into his brother’s face, he could faintly see the cave entrance through his face. Wilbur only happily smiled at Technoblade. “Blue looks good too. Whatd’ya think, Karl?”

The horse huffed just as the other man in the room meekly replied with, “Sure…”

Techno side stepped around Wilbur, releasing his hands and retrieving the sword that was laying on the ground. He raised the blade, pointing it at the other man’s chest. With a voice full of malice, the warrior spoke, “Tell me how you found the ghost of my brother, scum.”

Karl began to stutter as Wilbur frowned and attempted to disarm, Technoblade. However, even though he was a solid being, Wilbur did not have the strength to take the blade from the piglin’s grasp. Wilbur shouted at Technoblade, ordering him to lower his weapon. But, Technoblade only ignored his brother, tilting the man’s chin up with the tip of his sword. The man raised his arms as a sign of surrender. His face was slightly turned to his right as the blade threatened to decapitate him.

“M-my name is K-Karl, wi-with a K!” the man stuttered out, taking a step back as Technoblade took a step forward. “Li-listen, I-I-I am a time tr-traveler, an-and I fo-fo-found Wil-wilbur in my rea-realm.”

“What do you mean  _ time-traveler _ …” the warrior looked down at the man who was shriveling up on himself. “And what about this  _ realm _ ?”

“W-well, if you remove the blade from my neck, an-and let me talk...”

“Then start talking.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the super late update, but this is a pretty lore packed chapter. 
> 
> As the semester is coming to an end, I am struggling to get myself ready to graduate. So, as we get closer to April, don't expect always getting an update every week. I will try, always, but it may have to slow down here for a bit. :( But I am streaming every day on Twitch (https://twitch.tv/silv0ffire) and I have started a discord (https://discord.gg/3HPpnHxkQc)
> 
> If you want notifications of fanfics and streaming, I also have a twitter. @SilvLady ! Check me out there for out of context tweets and updates!
> 
> ALSO: If you are a POC, please let me boost you on my Twitter and Discord! I have a comment below for the tags. Comment your stories, socials, and any other media you have produced that you want to be shown off! I know I am small, but I want to show my appreciation to y’all all!


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